February 12, 2014

Graco has recalled 3.8 million child car safety seats because buckles may not unlatch in the case of an accident or car fire, trapping children. Eleven models, sold from 2009-2013 are included in the recall but the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration said the recall doesn’t go far enough and should include infant seats as well. Graco said tests showed that harness buckles can become sticky over time from food or beverages and that is less of a concern with infants. They said there have been no reports of accidents. The company will send free replacement buckles to owners who have registered their seats. Owners who haven’t registered, but want replacement buckles can call the consumer hotline at 800-345-4109.

A leading website for lovers of funny yet fake news, The Onion, has decided to get real with new ads promoting Get Covered Illinois, the health insurance exchange. The ads will encourage readers to sign up for health coverage before the March 31 deadline for open enrollment under the Affordable Care Act. If you're wanting a glimpse of these funny ads, don't expect to see them on The Onion unless you're visiting the website in Illinois. People in Illinois will see humorous ads, such as one featuring a toy wrestler with ad copy that reads, "Man without health insurance forced to sell action figures to pay for medical bills." The ads goes on to advise, "Don't sell your action figures." Instead, readers are asked to visit Get Covered Illinois. Would it work for you?

Something in the ground in Kentucky has it in for Corvettes as eight cars fell into a sinkhole in Kentucky. CNN reports that eight valuable Corvettes housed in the National Corvette Museum fell into a 40-foot-wide and 20-feet-deep sinkhole. Victims include a 1993 ZR-1 Spyder, a 1962 Black Corvette and the 1984 PPG Pace Car. Museum executive director Wendell Strode says that the total value of the damaged cars is substantial. A structural engineer is at the scene to assess the situation.

Chick-fil-A announced this week that they'll no longer sell products with meat from chickens that were given antibiotics. However, this change may take up to five years to fully implement. New York Times reports that consumer demand was behind the change. In addition to Chick-fil-A, other chains have also made similar commitments, including Panera Bread and Chipotle. The move to stop raising chickens with antibiotics is important as experts are concerned about the increase in bacterial resistance to antibiotics.

Toyota has recalled 1.9 million hybrid Prius cars worldwide after discovering faulty software that could cause the hybrid system in the car to shut down while being driven. If the hybrid system does shut down while the car is being driven, the car would lose power and come to a stop. Models that are part of the Prius recall include those manufactured between March 2009 and February 2014. The recall includes 997,000 cars in Japan, 713,000 in North America, plus 130,000 in Europe. Despite the large number of cars involved with the recall, no related injuries or accidents have been reported.